What Will It Be? The World Or Your Soul?
Friday in Sixth Week of Ordinary Time
My dear encountered couples:
There are some people who want to own the world. I doubt that you and I are among them; our ambitions don’t reach quite that far. But how much of the world do we want? How intent are we, upon having our will be done and our pockets filled? Is a large portion of our lives spent on obtaining and possessing things? How much of our short time on earth do we fill with dreaming and planning to buy this and that until we are overflowing with the goods of the world?
The words of Jesus today are meant to shake some sense into us. “What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process?”
When we are young we have great hopes and ambitions? Many years, we assume, lie before us before our turn comes to die. So why not grab as much of the world as we can, enrich ourselves, surround ourselves with beauty, luxury, and comfort? But when we get old, no matter how successful our plans have gone, we begin to wonder what it was all for.
Why did we spend so much of our lives trying to obtain things that don’t last, and in large part don’t satisfy? Why did we not listen to Christ who said the world was not worth the time and effort? That our lives would come to an end sooner than we expect, and then what of lasting value would we have to show for it?
If we have any sense we would give our complete attention right now to what Christ is saying, no matter how young or old we are. We would not waste any more of the time we have left. We would get hold of ourselves and master any useless ambitions we might have. “What profit does a man show who gains the whole world (or even a part of it) and destroys himself in the process?” Good question!
